Rose Festival Fleet Departs Downtown Portland

The Rose Festival ships are departing Portland this morning in two shifts, which began at 5 a.m.The first ships to leave were three U.S. Navy ships. They departed Portland around 7:30 a.m.Two Canadian Maritime Forces vessels and three U.S. Coast Guard cutters are departing in the second shift, beginning at 9 a.m.The departure of the Rose Festival fleet is forcing additional bridge lifts due to high water in the Willamette River.The Burnside, Broadway and Steel bridges must be lifted to accommodate all fleet vessels.Some Max train and bus lines are affected by fleet departure. TriMet officials say check the schedule if you are headed to the downtown Portland area during the departure period.